I bought a stolen iPhone. How can I Carrier Unlock or sell a stolen iPhone?

Buying a refurbished iPhone without IMEI Checking it first is never a good idea. The worst outcome is to buy a stolen iPhone which means that it will be iCloud Locked, Blacklisted or both. In this article, I will show you how to check the real status an iPhone, how to deal with iCloud Locked and Blacklisted iDevices and finally how to sell a stolen iPhone if you still can’t use it in your country after unlocking it successfully!

Keep in mind, that this post won’t help you if you are the person who stole the iPhone, especially if the stolen iPhone is iCloud Locked (and also, I hate thieves)!

1. How to check a stolen iPhone

The damage is done and the iPhone you bought is stolen. If the iCloud Activation Lock is on, then you already see that this iDevice is stolen or lost (and maybe erased) on the iCloud Activation Lock Screen. But when the iPhone is not iCloud Locked how can you tell if it is:

SIM Locked: 99% the iPhone is network locked but maybe there is a hardware or software issue

Blacklisted: The original owner reported this iPhone as stolen to his/her Mobile Network

Locking Carrier Identification: It is extremely important to know which Mobile Network blocked the iPhone and in case the iPhone is Blacklisted, the outcome of any unlocking procedure has to do with the country in which this iPhone was blacklisted

Under Contract: The original owner still has an active network plan associated with this iPhone and this means that the iPhone legally belongs to the owner or the Mobile Network. Even if you manage to unlock it with the unlocking options I will show you later on, the iPhone can get relocked

Protected by Apple Warranty, AppleCare+ or Insurance Plan: Another indicator of the iPhone’s original ownership that can lead to relocking

Replaced: Maybe the original owner made an Insurance Claim and got a new iPhone as a replacement and this means that the iPhone you bought won’t be unlocked unless the original owner reports that he/she found the iPhone and return the replaced iDevice back. Also, there is a chance that this iPhone was replaced to the original owner due to a hardware or software issue by Apple.

On top of that, this service will get you all the info you need in order to unlock or sell this stolen iPhone if you have to!

2. How to iCloud Unlock a Stolen iPhone

Now that you are aware of all the stolen iPhone’s problems, thanks to the iPhone IMEI Check Service, the first problem you need to solve is the iCloud Activation Lock (if your iPhone is not iCloud Locked continue to the next section). There is no point in SIM Unlocking a stolen iPhone if you don’t manage to iCloud Unlock it before anything else.

On the iCloud Activation Screen, you can see that the iPhone is LOST/STOLEN or ERASED but sometimes there is also a message from the original owner with contact information (phone number or email address).

In this case, do not hesitate to contact the original owner becausehe/she is the only person who can disable the iCloud Activation Lock (aka Find My iPhone Activation Lock). After all, you are not a thief but an individual who was also scammed by the same thief. Forget aboutiCloud Hacking Software because since iOS 9 none of them works.

Factory Premium Unlock is the most advanced IMEI Unlock procedure and works almost the same with the CLEAN IMEI unlock method with a catch! The iPhone will be permanently Carrier Unlocked to all GSM Networks worldwidebut it will remain blacklisted and this means that it will continue to be useless inside the country it was blacklisted and maybe 1-2 neighboring countries if they share their Blacklists with each other.

We constantly check and test more than 40 IMEI Unlock Providers in order to make sure that the visitors of our blog will get the safest, fastest and 100% guaranteed iPhone Unlocking solution, so when it comes to Premium IMEI Unlocking for Blacklisted iPhones, it is wise to stick with one of these 3 iPhone Unlocking Companies:

4. How to sell a stolen iPhone after Carrier Unlocking it & other alternatives

If you are unlucky and live in the country where the stolen iPhone remains Blacklisted, don’t despair because there are alternatives!

You can sell a stolen iPhone to a country where it isn’t blacklisted anymore by using an online market

You can sell a stolen iPhone to a foreign student or a tourist.

You can keep this SIM unlocked iPhone and use it when you travel abroad.

You can give this iPhone as a present to a friend or family member who lives in another country.

The good thing when you sell a stolen iPhone which was properly unlocked with the iPhone unlocking options I showed you is that you will get the highest possible market value and this means that you will make enough money in order to cover a part of your loss or even earn a little something in the end!

You are more than welcome to ask me anything about iPhone Unlocking by leaving a comment below and please, from now on make sure that you won’t purchase a refurbished iPhone without checking it first! Take Care!

Hey, I am Makis. I am a Chemical Engineer and as it’s natural, I was fascinated with iPhone technology since the release of the original iPhone. In 2013, I bought a used iPhone from an online market but it turned to be locked and I didn’t know what to do in order to use my SIM Card. Despite being a tech freak, I spent too much money and time trying out fake services and iOS exploits until I found UltraSnow.EU and managed to unlock my iPhone with success. Soon afterward I became part of the team in order to help people like me through Quora or here and right now iPhone Unlocking is my cup of tea!

14 comments

ROBERT WilliamsFebruary 8, 2019 - 8:35 am

I have a iPhone that is not blacklisted by is locked to Carolina west wireless. How can I unlock this phone without contacting the company

Long story short.
iPhone was stolen.
Assurant replaced the device.
iPhone was returned three weeks later.
Assurant states to use the return iPhone as a paperweight.
T-Mobile cannot unlock the IMEI.
Should I spend the money to have my iPhone IMEI unlocked and try to sell it or just list this on eBay as it is for parts?
Thank you for any insight

Thank you for this article! I need help. I have a BRAND NEW iPhone 7+ fresh off of the truck. It was given to me. I am scared to use it because I’m afraid of it being reported stolen. It does not have a SIM card. Can this iPhone still be sold as I really do not need the iPhone?

Of course, you can sell it, but its price will drop a lot since it is blacklisted. I suggest doing a full Blacklist IMEI Check, to find out from which Mobile Network it got blacklisted, so you search afterwards if there is an unblacklist solution. If there is, then you can CLEAN it and sell it at full price. You can check the following links.

Hello, I bought an iPhone 6 on craigslist and the people who sold the phone to me told me that the iPhone was unlocked.
When I got to my carrier the iPhone was not unlocked and it appears that it was a stolen item.
So, my question is this:
Is it possible to get the iPhone unlocked and switch the line to my carrier?

Hello there. I just found Iphone 7 in the toilet. Its about 3 weeks ago. Im still waiting for owner to call me…but still nothing happen until now. This iphone is already icloud lock already. What should i do to it?
Shall i keep it (but useless, no point) or can i sell it?
Your view please?

HI, my friend.
I’m from Egypt, and I bought an iPhone 6s+ last year from a shop in New York. The seller told me that the phone was locked for at&t for three months and my sim card in Egypt would work properly as soon as I used it.
I returned home and of course, the iPhone didn’t work.
I’m in Los Angeles now for 3 days. I visited at&t and they told me that the iPhone is unlocked but reported ad stolen or lost. Is there any way to solve this problem?
Thanks in advance

This is a bit weird. If your device was UNLOCKED, then it should work with any network you want. The Blacklist status, will prevent you from using it inside USA, Canada, Mexico and in general countries near USA.

If Egypt also shares the same Blacklist with USA, then I am afraid that there is nothing you can do 🙁

Does your iPhone show any contact information (Most likely a Phone number or an e-mail) to the iCloud Activation Screen? If yes, then you can try those.

If not, you will have to perform a full iPhone IMEI Check and check its status. Once you find the Mobile Network of that device, you will be able to call them and they will help you out locating the Original Owner.